Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-01-26
The farm aud fire5ide.
DEN AND SOIL MANUFACTURE.

by night" These conclusions were arrived
at by painstaking and accurate experiments
and actual and careful weighing of the soil
One proposition, however, is of especial
value. as demonstrating that in time o
drouth shallow (surface) cultivation is pref
erable as better conserving moisture. The
percentages as between shallow, deep, and
untitled soil, as taken from the bulletin
show as follows:
Shallow-tilled soil lost 62.9 Of total water
content, deep-tilled soil lost 66.S oftotal wa.
ter content, and untitled soil lost G2.G of total
water content.
The important practical points, however,
in all this is not how much water the soil
lost, either by day or Tight, but what pro-
portion was eXhaled by the plants, for the
greater the amount Of water given off By
plants, the greater their power of convert
ing the constituents of the soil to the uses OF
the plant. But the moisture given Oft by
the soil itself through radiation would form
completely economical integer in soil cul-
tivation. There is a good theoretical reason
why a soil titled deep should give off more
moisture than one cultivated shallow. Such
a soil is more open to the effects of heat and
evaporation, being in proportion to the heat
of the medium, and the weather being Ia
vorable thereto, would naturally be greater
than upon shallow-tilled soil.
1t is probably not correct, as is generally
supposed, that q loose, porous soil receives
moisture from the atmosphere at night to
any considerable degree, except at the sur
face, Just as the shallow soil does. The soil
does not vary in its heat between the day
and night to the degree that the atmosphere
does. Hence the deep-tilled soil would or
should have greater power of condensng
moisture from the soil during the day than
at night, for the reason that during the day
it is cooler than the air, and hence there
may be more active condensation of atmos-
pheric moisture than by night, and what
ever this quantity may be it conserves just
as much to the soil as it received.
COMPOsTING MANURE AND LIME.-As a
rule it is not advisable to mix lime with
stable manure, but by using proper precau-
tions no harm may be done. 1t is quite
easy to prevent fire-fanging of manure,
which is dry rot, caused by lack of moisture,
and is prevented by keeping the manure in
low, flat, broad heaps, which catch the rain
and keep moist, and should be turned over
as soon as the manure becomes hot. But by
making compost of it the manure can be
doubled in value. This may be done as fol-
lows A layer of leaves from the woods,
swamp muck, and black vegetable mold, is
first made, mixed with the tannery lime
manure is scattered over this, and as it is
thrown on the other materials are mixed
with it roughly until a broad, dished sur
face heap is made not more than five feet
high. The mixed stuff should amount to
three times the bulk of the manure, to pre-
vent overheating and damage. A slow de-
composition will soon reduce the whole to
rich manure, equal, bulk for bulk, to that
direct from the Stable. If the heap heats
too much it should be turned over.-New
York Times.
GREEN FooD.-Poultry raisers who live
in towns and cities often find it very diff
cult to supply their stock with green food.
Many farmers never think of this, but they
have fair supply of eggs during the winter
without knowing the reason why. In cold
weather there is no natural food better than
clover, and it is especially good if it is only
about half cured. The poultry will scratch
in this, eat the blossoms and leaves, and if
permitted to remain in and about close
barn, will lay fair proportion of eggs.
The clover is excellent green food. After
it passes into the craw, it soon passes
through change, and if the fowl is killed
and the crop opened, the clover will be
found to be almost perfectly green. Blue
grass or timothy answer about the same pur-
pose; and if put through the cutting box,
and hot water poured over them, these
grasses will then be equal to the clover.
Another excellent food is cabbage leaves.
The outside leaves can he put down in a
barrel, the same as kraut, and they will
keep all winter, being ready for use at any
time. Potato peelings are better than moth
ing.-Funaers' Home Journal.
THE EXCELLENCE OF FARM LIFE.-It is
common complaint that the farm and farm
life are not appreciated by our people. We
long for more elegant pursuits, or the ways
and fashions of the towns. But the farmer
has the most sane and natural occu patton,
and ought to find life sweeter, if less highly
ly speaking, has home. How can man
take root and live without land?
He writes his history upon his fields.
How many ties and resources he has; his
friendship with his cattle, his team, his dog,
his trees, the satisfaction in his growing
crops, in his improved fields; his intimacy
with nature, with bird and beast, and with
the quickening elemental forces.
Cling to the farm, make much of it; be-
stow your heart, your brains upon it, SO that
it shall SAVIOR of you and radate your vir-
tues after your days work is done.
FoRM1C ACID IN HoNEY.-At a recent
meeting of the Physiological Society of
Berlin, it was stated that when bee has
filled its cell either with pure honey or a
mixture of pollen dough and honey, and
has completed the lid, drop of formic acid
obtained from the poison bag connected
with the sting, is added to the honey, by
perforating the lid with the sting. Numer-
Gus experiments show that this formic acid
preserves the honey and every other sOlu-
tion from fermentation. If this be we'll es-
tablished it will show that the sting and the
poison apparatus of the bee has a further
purpose than that of defensive and often
sive weapon. Another interesting fact sug-
gests itself in connection with this. So far
as is known most Of the insects that have
the singing apparatus, similar to that of
the bee, are collectors and StOrers Of honey.
Boston Budget.
SCORCHED GRAIN FOR FOWLS.-COrn fed
to poultry in the fall and early winter is
damp and not so easily digestible as that
thoroughly dried later in the season. This
is one reason why fowls stop laying about the
time new corn begins to be fed. Thoroughly
heated corn, even to charring some OF 1T,
will remove this excessive dampness and
make it more digestible. Fowls or other
stock fed heavily on corn will eat charcoal
as corrective to the acid fermentation
which it creates in their stomachs. AS con-
venient way as any is to slightly burn
some of the grain with which they are fed.
1t may be given warm but not while hot.
WATERING Cows IN WINTER.-The dry
feed usually given cows in cold weather is
less stimulating to milk production than
the green herbage they getat pasture. The
bad effects of too dry feed are greatly inten-